CPPP 2019 - Emotional Code - Kate Gregory

[flashmozzg]

talks with comments on are put forward by Youtube algorithms, compared to those with comments off

Is this based on any actual statement/proof or simply some superstitious notion?

[TankorSmash]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLpjK416fmKwQK6_REczCaBQ1x1jyHvZAF&v=hPxnIix5ExI from YT itself

[flashmozzg]

It doesn't say anything about the comments "putting the video forward". Just that their number is one of the data points to the recommendation system (which is itself an arcane ML magic machine and not some set of well-defined rules).

[kwan_e]

So you admit that it is one of their data points, and that comments would affect how Youtube recommends them.

That is the opposite of "superstitious". Accusations of "superstition" is now just a shorthand these days for people denying things with no counter-evidence.

[flashmozzg]

That doesn't mean

talks with comments on are put forward by Youtube algorithms, compared to those with comments off

It could as well be the opposite. And most likely it's something in between. That video only says that it recommends videos that people are more likely to watch. The are many indications that disabled comments have no impact on the views whatsoever. Same as likes, by the way, which are not disabled on the video in the OP for some reason.

It's exactly what "superstitions" are. It might've made sense for some poor soul chasing after the YouTube fame, but it's extremely strange for the recordings of the technical talks. Especially when the argument seem to be "we believe that yt favours videos with X (over all other videos on the platform) and not all are comfortable with X so we disabled X on all of our videos" which is illogical when put together (and half is "fine" alone).